


Autumn in June

by serratedpearls



Series: Shiritori Pieces [3]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Gore, Romance, aromantic Jeonghan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-08-20 06:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8239489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serratedpearls/pseuds/serratedpearls
Summary: Sons of Demeter and Hades shouldn't get along this well.





	1. Chapter 1

“He must continue forward five spaces, pass go, and collect $200,” Chan intones gravely, voice raspy and deep as he moves his silver racecar to Mediterranean Avenue.

“I swear one day the Oracle’s going to predict your death just for the disrespect you've accumulated, and it's only June,” Minghao says conversationally, holding his hand out for rent.

Chan hands over his fake money, grinning. “You'd miss me if I died, don't give me that.”

Minghao just shrugs, and Junhui smiles. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something metal light up from the sunlight.

It's the gold inlay on a Stygian iron sword’s hilt, and when Junhui looks up, his dark green eyes meet deep, black ones. Jihoon smiles back at him from where he's sitting near the lake, and Junhui makes the grass grow up and tickle the hand resting on the gleaming sword’s sheath. Jihoon just looks down, smiling more widely and watching the grass weave around his fingers.

The first time they’d met, Jihoon had just arrived at camp, and everybody had been intimidated by the darkness in the boy’s expression, so Junhui had volunteered to show him around camp. Jihoon wasn’t much of a talker, but he nodded to show he was listening to Junhui, and when Junhui showed him the cabins, his eyes had just barely widened, but it was enough to remind Junhui that although the boy looked like he could kill someone even without a sword, he was still a twelve-year-old boy too.

Jihoon’s first night at Camp Half-Blood, he’d stayed with the Hermes cabin. At dinner, Junhui watched from the Demeter table as Jihoon shyly started smiling at Seungkwan’s jokes. Their eyes had met at some point, and the glow of the fire caught in Jihoon’s eyes, making them look almost like ink. Junhui had grinned and made the flowers in the center of the table grow to rest next to Jihoon’s hand, and he’d been rewarded with even wider eyes looking up at him in astonishment.

Jihoon was claimed when he was alone one day, and when he told Chiron he was a son of Hades, the whole camp had whispered about it for days. When he sat at the Hades table alone that night, Junhui had willed the flowers to gently curl around his wrist, and when he looked up, Junhui swore he’d never seen darkness look so warm before.

Now, making plants grow for Jihoon had become a habit of Junhui’s, and while he'd gotten some weird looks at first, everyone had learned to expect to see Jihoon with leaves in his hair or flowers in his pocket.

“Jun.” Minghao prods him.

“Hmm?”

“If you'd stop making eyes at Jihoon, you'd know it's your turn,” Minghao says, rolling his eyes with a tiny grin.

Junhui exhales through his nose. He doesn't need this right now. Can't a boy like someone in peace? Luckily, Minghao is saved from what definitely would've been a brutal comeback when Chiron calls them in for dinner.

 

***

 

Apollo’s kids are enthusiastically leading the sing-along that night when Junhui hears a rustle behind him. It’s not the usual wind through the bushes thing, though (as a son of Demeter, he’s usually pretty good at noticing the difference), and when he feels a light tug on his sleeve, he grins. Looking back, he sees the flames of the bonfire reflecting in black eyes, and he quietly follows Jihoon into the woods.

“What’s up?” he whispers, but Jihoon doesn’t say anything, so Junhui just moves his hand so their fingers are intertwined. Jihoon, accustomed to this by now, just squeezes his hand.

When they’ve reached the stream, Jihoon stops and turns around.

“I’m leaving camp.”

Junhui hears the words, and he understands what they mean, but his tongue is numb. He looks down, and the grass sways back and forth, like a metronome set to the beat of his heart.

“It's not permanent, but I've been here for five summers already, and I’ve been doing my thing for most of the year for the past four years. It’s not a big deal, I'll still come by, but my dad mentioned that I'm technically an adult now and he has work that needs doing, so I figured it makes sense to go, you know?” When Junhui just nods mutely, Jihoon adds “I promise I'll come visit you a lot.”

Junhui hears the softness in Jihoon’s voice, a quiet plea for reassurance that this is okay, they'll be okay.

“Did you talk to Chiron already?” Junhui finally looks up. The trees have spread their branches so they have more moonlight to talk, and it paints Jihoon’s eyelashes silver.

“He had no objections,” Jihoon said. “It seems like a pretty good decision to be honest. I mean I don't really belong here, and a child of Hades has never stayed at camp nearly as much as I have, and from being here five years, you're still the only one who’s really tried to be my friend.”

Junhui sees the moonlight swimming on the dark green leaves, focuses on the sound of the stream flowing through cattails. He sits down, and without looking up, he has a blackberry bush reach out a branch and pull Jihoon down next to him.

“I'll miss you a lot,” he finally says, and his whisper hovers in the clearing for a second before dissolving like dandelion seeds in the wind.

“I’ll miss you too, but I'll come back and visit. And I can shadow travel remember? I can come see you wherever you are.” Jihoon’s always had a habit of twisting his rings when he's distressed, and now, his fingers draw black ribbons against the moonlight on the grass.

“Yeah. That's true.” Junhui exhales, and he feels the grass fall against him gently, almost as if to comfort him.

“You're my best friend, Wen Junhui. I'll be back until you don't want me around.” Jihoon’s smile is a sad one, as if he expects that time to come sooner rather than later.

This time Junhui reaches out himself to hold Jihoon’s hand. He stills Jihoon’s fingers with his own, quietly threading them together.

“Good luck with your dad. I expect you to visit regularly or at least send me dangerous Underworld creatures to sabotage the other team in capture the flag. And I’ll send you Iris messages when I'm bored, because you can't get rid of me this easily.”

“This easily?” Jihoon cracks a smile. “Going to the underworld and doing the business of the god of death is easy?”

“I know what I said,” Junhui replied, flicking the back of Jihoon’s hand.

Jihoon laughs for real, and Junhui smiles unconsciously before trying to bring back the poker face. His lips twitch when Jihoon’s thumb brushes against palm, though, and he knows he’s lost this battle, so he lays himself on the ground, looking up through his eyelashes at Jihoon.

Jihoon raises his eyebrow, and Junhui grins. He shifts himself over so his head is in Jihoon’s lap, and their fingers are still intertwined. Jihoon’s other hand comes up and gently brushes through his hair, and Junhui closes his eyes and pretends that time doesn't exist.

It feels like a small eternity later that Jihoon whispers “Jun?” and Junhui opens his eyes. Gazing back at him is the warmest, most beautiful darkness he's ever seen.

“I think they might start looking for us if we don't get back,” Jihoon whispers with a small smile.

“Well they can fuck off,” Junhui says, unable to look away. He can't help feeling like a man on death sentence savoring his last meal.

“You should try telling Soonyoung that,” Jihoon laughs.

“That's a terrible idea. Could you imagine the pout?”

“Yeah, it'd be like kicking a puppy.” Jihoon’s laugh sounds more like a cackle this time, and Junhui has never been happier or sadder. He sighs, and starts the process of getting up.

They head back to camp, and Jihoon lets Junhui hold his hand again without saying anything. He's usually not this quiet about Junhui’s love for skinship, and Jun can't help but hold on tighter, knowing this is Jihoon’s way of making goodbye less sad.

“When do you leave?” Junhui’s voice is soft like a leaf fluttering in the wind, and it takes Jihoon so long to reply that Junhui’s not sure he heard.

“Tonight.”

“What?” Junhui stops walking.

Jihoon won't look at him. “I don't have any specific time but when you go to bed I'll leave.”

“What if I don't go to bed?” Junhui feels like a child, but he doesn't care.

“Then I'll leave before breakfast, but I'd rather not have people see me leave.”

“I see.”

“Junhui, come on.”

Junhui lets himself get tugged back to camp, but he keeps a tight hold on Jihoon’s hand when they reach the Demeter cabin.

“I'll see you soon,” Jihoon says softly.

“Can you stay a bit longer?” Junhui feels selfish for asking, but he figures if there was ever a time to be selfish, this is it. Jihoon’s hesitant, he can tell, because most children of Demeter are wary around children of Hades; the whole death thing tends to put them off a bit, and the idea of going into their cabin… Junhui knows Jihoon doesn't like it.

“Never mind,” he says after a few seconds. “Hug though?” Junhui holds his arms out, and Jihoon sighs with relief, wrapping his arms around Junhui’s waist and squeezing a little. Junhui rests his head against Jihoon’s dark hair and sighs.

“Be careful okay? If you die I'm going to get a quest to go to the Underworld and yell at you.”

“Oh the horror,” Jihoon says wryly, but he rubs Junhui’s back comfortingly, and Junhui feels his heart clench a little.

He lets go, and they step apart. With a small smile and a wave, Jihoon melts away into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Junhui is sad and finds out he can't make plants in the Underworld grow.

The next morning, Junhui has to be shaken awake by Wonwoo. He just rolls over, trying to pretend he’s still asleep, but Wonwoo sits down next to him, gently rubbing his shoulder, and Junhui knows he’s not fooled.

“Did something happen last night?” Wonwoo asks softly.

“I’m just tired,” Junhui replies, words muffled by the pillow. Wonwoo’s not going to buy this, because in all his days as head counselor, Junhui’s never failed to wake up first and herd everyone to breakfast on time, but he doesn’t care. Luckily, Wonwoo is a kind soul and gets up after promising to bring Junhui back food.

He manages to get himself together enough to be wearing real clothes and have combed hair by the time Wonwoo gets back, and it hurts a little, but he grins when he sees Wonwoo poke his head around the door.

“Here,” Wonwoo says, handing Junhui a fork and a plate stacked with fried potatoes, eggs, and fruit.

Junhui thanks him and digs in, making sure his mouth is full of food to the point where it would be terribly rude of him to say anything.

“You don’t have to tell me what happened, but you know where to find me if you want to talk about it,” Wonwoo says quietly. Junhui keeps eating, just nodding slightly to indicate he heard, and Wonwoo sighs. He leaves to go back to breakfast, and Junhui sets the fork down, swallowing thickly.

He looks up and locks eyes with his reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall. He hasn’t cried or anything, so he looks completely normal, save maybe a droop in his shoulders. He tries smiling, and it doesn’t look half bad; maybe those community acting classes from elementary school were finally proving their worth.

With another sigh, he stands up; if he stays in too long, more people will come by to check on him, and not everyone’s as understanding as Wonwoo.

 

 

***

 

 

The next days pass in a blur, at once moving too quickly and too slowly for Junhui’s liking. He goes through the motions, canoeing and practicing archery with everyone else, and as exhausting as it is, he tries to spend as little time alone as possible.

A week after Jihoon leaves, a new demigod arrives at camp. He introduces himself as Hansol, and Chiron asks Junhui to show him around. Junhui suspects it might have something to do with how now that Jihoon’s gone, everyone has noticed that he’s been quietly moping his life away. He doesn’t see the harm in giving the kid a tour, though, so he collects Hansol from the Big House and tries to smile extra brightly when he talks about camp activities.

Hansol’s on the quieter side, absorbing everything with wide eyes and a small grin. When they end the tour at cabin eleven, Junhui laughs as Hansol barely has time to say thank you before he’s gone, Seungkwan enthusiastically pulling him into the cabin.

 

 

***

 

 

At the campfire that night, Junhui finds himself next to Hansol again. He also notices Jeonghan smiling beguilingly from across the fire, and he follows his line of sight to see Hansol smiling back dreamily.

Junhui chuckles. “Jeonghan’s a son of Aphrodite, and he’s the most aromantic flirt I've ever met. Careful, pal.”

“Wait how...can a son of Aphrodite be aromantic.” It takes a few seconds of looking back at Junhui for Hansol’s eyes to clear.

“He just is,” Junhui says with a small grin, catching Jeonghan’s pout at having Hansol’s attention taken away. “Children of Aphrodite have powers that don't require they be romantically attracted to anyone, and he told me it always felt wrong for him to be aromantic until Aphrodite reminded him that just meant he could break that many more hearts with his flirting. I think he’s taken those words to heart,” he adds with a grin.

Across the fire, Jeonghan’s turned his attention to Minghao, draping himself over Minghao’s shoulder like a large cat and linking their fingers. When he looks up, his gaze catches on Junhui’s. He gestures for Junhui to sit next to him, and Junhui turns to Hansol.

“My summons have come,” he says mournfully.

“Go on then, I'll take care of the kid.” Seungkwan pops out of nowhere, slinging his arm around Hansol’s shoulders.

“Aren't you the same age as me?” Junhui hears as he’s walking away.

He plops himself down on the log next to Jeonghan, who just heaves himself into a sitting position with a sigh.

“Why do you always ruin my fun,” Jeonghan asks with a pout.

Junhui laughs. “Getting right to the point. Well I figured you're going to make him fall in love with you regardless of what I tell him so I should at least warn him ahead of time.”

“Hmm. True. I'm pretty irresistible,” Jeonghan muses. Junhui snorts.

“Anyway, I thought I'd invite you over here for a little chat because I'm sick of you being so sad every time I see you.” Junhui opens his mouth to protest, but Jeonghan just shakes his head and continues.

“You’ve been this unsettling sad thing clinging to you since Jihoon left, and it's getting a little better but dude the pining.” Jeonghan sighs. “I know you're in love and all but I can literally feel your pining from across camp it's like you're a puppy whose owner left for vacation.”

“Listen I don't know what you expect me to do about this it's only been a week since he left. If I could turn it off I would,” Junhui says, eyes fixed on the fire, something almost akin to embarrassment heating the back of his neck.

Jeonghan pats his shoulder. “Jihoon’s coming back soon. I think he said around the end of July right?”

Junhui’s eyes widen and he stares at Jeonghan. “What? He told you when he's coming back?”

“Well the end of July was his estimate. He probably didn't want to make you any promises he couldn't be sure he'd keep,” Jeonghan reasons.

“That sounds like him,” Junhui says quietly. “I'm glad you told me though. Thanks.” He turns to Jeonghan, whose eyes crinkle when he smiles.

“No problem. I miss him too, you know. We weren't as close as you two, but he was nice and talked to me when I wasn't feeling great.”

“Yeah I remember,” Junhui says. He looks over and sees Jeonghan watching him with a soft smile. “You know, I got kind of jealous that first time I saw him brushing your hair?”

Jeonghan snorts. “As if I could've missed that even if I weren't a son of Aphrodite. I swear you're the least subtle person I know, Jun.”

Junhui laughs. “Well Jihoon’s as blind as I’m obvious, so it works out doesn't it.”

Jeonghan just grins, and Junhui sighs. He's seen that grin before, and it’s always a sign that Jeonghan knows exactly what's happening and he’s excited to be able to predict something weeks or months or even once, years, ahead what's going to happen in the future.

“Thanks for the talk, bud. Take it easy on Hansol, yeah? He's still a kid.” Junhui stands up, and Jeonghan laughs.

“I'll do my best,” he says, already turning back around to poke Minghao’s side.

 

 

***

 

 

Sending him an Iris message only a week and a half after he’s left isn’t clingy is it? Junhui knows he should probably wait a few more days, let Jihoon get settled with everything before trying to contact him, but these nine days have felt like eternity. _Fuck it_.

“Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering. Lee Jihoon… somewhere in the Underworld” Junhui says. He flips a golden drachma into the rainbow created by the hose behind the greenhouse and waits.

Jihoon’s in the middle of fighting some skeletons when Junhui gets through, and the shimmering in the air definitely catches Jihoon’s eye. He swings around, blade nearly swiping straight through the Iris message.

“Oh!” Visibly startled, he jumps back. Junhui almost laughs, but there’s a skeleton’s dagger heading right for Jihoon’s back. Just in time, Jihoon waves his hand and the skeletons collapse.

Junhui snickers. “I didn’t realize you didn’t want to be contacted so much.”

Jihoon rolls his eyes and twirls his sword. “I’m half regretting not going through with it right now,” he says drily, but the effect is ruined by his lips turning up at the corners.

“No you’re not.” Junhui just grins.

“... Anyway. How have you been?” Jihoon sheathes the sword and plops himself down on the ground. The Iris message moves down with him, and Junhui instinctively sits down too. He sees that there’s some kind of weed growing on the ground where Jihoon is, but try as he might, he can’t get it to move. He tries to not pout.

“I’ve been...okay,” Junhui says. He hasn't been happy enough to say “good,” but seeing Jihoon in front of him now, his chest feels lighter and the sun feels warmer on his skin. It doesn't seem right to worry Jihoon when everything feels bearable now, so he adds what he can of camp.

“We have a new camper named Hansol, who was just claimed by Nike a few days ago. Jeonghan has broken his heart a little, but I think Seungkwan’s helping him get over it. Chan’s super excited to have a new brother, though, which is cute. Seungcheol has been trying to upgrade the archery range…” Junhui trails off. Honestly, there's not much more to say.

Jihoon smiles at him, and Junhui’s heart hurts because it's not _fair._ Jihoon is right in front of him with his smile like starlight, and Junhui can't even hold his hand.

“How are you doing?” Junhui asks, mostly because he wants to know, but a little part of him asks just to ensure he doesn't just blurt out something embarrassing like _I love you please come back to me_. “What's your dad having you do?”

“I'm okay too. The palace is pretty quiet, though, which has been an adjustment after spending so much time with you,” Jihoon teases, and Junhui laughs softly. “I'm not entirely sure what my dad wants right now though. He just says I should train more for now. Against Underworld creatures,” he adds, seeing Junhui’s about to interject. Junhui pouts. Jihoon’s hand reaches up to the Iris message pane to hover briefly over the image of Junhui’s cheek before dropping back into his lap.

“I miss you,” he says, smiling sadly.

“I miss you too,” Junhui replies, and he promises himself he won't cry. The grass around him brushes his fingers comfortingly.

From Jihoon’s side comes a dark rumbling in the ground. “Shit,” he swears, “that's probably my cue to go.” He unsheathes his sword and stands up. He looks behind him to see if anyone’s coming yet, and Junhui stands up too.

“It's okay, go. I'll talk to you soon,” Junhui says with a small wave.

“Definitely. Thanks for calling today,” Jihoon says with another warm smile, and Junhui is so glad the Iris messages can convey the beauty of his eyes even through the mist. “Bye!”

“Stay safe,” Junhui calls back. “I love you,” he can't help but add in a whisper, quickly waving a hand through the mist before he can see if Jihoon heard.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Radio silence from Jihoon; in the meantime, Junhui mopes, Jeonghan cheats, Minghao catches him, and Seungcheol is doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a short section here with graphic descriptions of violence/gore which might be disturbing. I tagged it, but I'm not sure how much people read the tags.

Weeks go by without news from Jihoon. Slowly, Junhui’s life goes back to normal, but he still stays away from their clearing in the forest.

Jihoon heard him. He must have, and now he doesn't want to talk to Junhui, right? Jeonghan says he's an idiot, but Junhui can't help the ache in his chest. Unfortunately, Jeonghan can feel this without him saying anything, so Junhui finds himself in the company of the son of Aphrodite increasingly often.

Sometimes he brings Minghao along so it doesn’t feel too much like a pity party. This ends up working better than expected, Minghao lightening the mood by bringing out Jeonghan’s competitive spirit during board games. Jeonghan, of course, isn’t as happy because cheating is a lot harder when playing against a son of Athena. Minghao says it’ll do wonders for Jeonghan’s character, and not a single one of them believes this will actually happen; the whole camp knows Jeonghan’s character is pretty much a hopeless case.

“You know, you’re smart enough to possibly win against me if you just played a straight game?” Minghao says, catching Jeonghan rigging the chance pile in their Monopoly game.

“You should know by now I refuse to play a straight anything, my little sunflower,” Jeonghan says with a saccharine smile as he reshuffles the cards with slightly more force than is necessary.

Minghao sighs. Junhui hides his grin behind a fan of colorful money.

After Minghao’s third win, though, Jeonghan refuses to reset the board. “I can’t believe we just played three games of Monopoly.”

“This is because you refused to accept that Minghao would win more games than you,” Junhui says, rubbing his eyes with exhaustion and draping his whole body over Jeonghan’s to avoid laying down on the hardwood floor. Jeonghan just rolls his eyes.

“Well you two went along with it, and I didn’t even use charmspeak. You should at least have the sense to tell me Monopoly isn’t a game made to be played three times in a row,” he says. Junhui can feel the tension in Jeonghan’s chest grow and recede as he tries not to yawn. He motions at Minghao to join their little cuddle pile, and with not insignificant grumbling, Minghao lets himself be tucked into Jeonghan’s side.

Junhui closes his eyes. It’s nice to feel his friends’ warmth, to feel Minghao holding his hand and Jeonghan’s hand gently tracing circles onto his thigh, but he misses hearing laughter like summer rains, misses the scent of caramel and lilies, the rich sweetness of a darkness that could made the world lighter.

He misses Jihoon.

“You’re doing it again,” Jeonghan murmurs kindly.

“Sorry,” Junhui mumbles, burying his face in the curve of Jeonghan’s neck, and the only reply he gets is a hand reaching up from his thigh to gently card through his hair.

He can’t help it, though. It’s a huge pain in the ass for Jeonghan and the rest of his cabin, but Junhui can’t stop himself from feeling like the heat has been stolen from his chest; even the sun, shining as brightly as it ever will in the year, seems dim when the starlight Junhui loves is hidden under the ground.

“He’ll come back,” Minghao says, and Junhui sighs. Everyone seems much more confident in this prediction than he is.

Jeonghan nods. “It’s true. Even if not for you, for me, because I’m great and he likes brushing my hair more than he lets on.”

“Jeonghan…” Minghao flicks Jeonghan’s nose, and Jeonghan looks down as if this is the greatest offense he’s ever been dealt.

“Be nice,” Minghao says, flicking Jeonghan’s nose again. Jeongan scrunches his face up.

“I can’t believe you’d flick me _twice_ and then insinuate that I’m not nice. What matters is Jihoon comes back and if he’s being an idiot, we can talk sense into him. But that’s an entirely hypothetical situation, because if our pal Junhui here actually listened to anything I have to say, he’d realize that Jihoon’s in love with him too and there’s nothing to worry about.” Jeonghan sniffs.

“But what if I ruined everything somehow?” Junhui asks sadly.

Jeonghan snorts. “See what I mean? Literally just ignored everything I said two seconds ago. It’s more likely he died and can’t get back than he doesn’t want to get back.”

“Do you think—?” Junhui lifts his head up and his eyes widen in panic.

“ _No_.” Jeonghan clearly tries really hard to not roll his eyes and pulls Junhui’s head back to his shoulder. “No, Jihoon is probably perfectly fine. We don’t know what he’s doing, but he knows how to protect himself, and he’s smart. He’s going to be okay.”

Worry burns Junhui. It brands itself on the back of his eyelids, on the roof of his mouth, on the inside of his wrist where the bowstring occasionally snaps, on the underside of his ribs where only his heart can see. As the weeks pass and the days gradually get shorter, Junhui begins to laugh again, and he lets Wonwoo tug him into competitions against the satyrs to see who can make the blackberries grow fastest. The worry haunts him like an old injury, though, flaring up at the most unexpected moments: when dessert includes caramel, when the wind blows through the trees a little too quickly, when the Hephaestus kids test their swords out by the lake.

A constant, however, is that every time he closes his eyes to go to sleep, the worry builds again. Sometimes he wakes up not remembering what he dreamt but knowing the bitter taste lingering on his tongue is Jihoon’s anxiety. It could never be expected that the work of Hades would be relaxing, but it still leaves Junhui’s blood racing as he forces himself to breathe deeply in the dark cabin to slow his breath to the rhythm of his siblings’ around him.

 

 

***

 

 

At some point at the beginning of August, Seungcheol pulls him to the archery range (“You said Demeter would ally with us for capture the flag, and I refuse to have someone so bad at archery on my team.”). Seokmin grins when he sees Junhui, bounding over to give him a hug.

“I haven’t talked to you in ages!” he says happily, and Junhui is struck—not for the first time—by just how much Seokmin embodies the sun his father drives.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. Sorry about that,” Junhui says, poking Seokmin’s cheek. Seokmin beams.

“That’s okay, but let’s hang out soon yeah? I have to get going now. Seungkwan said he knows some of the Nike kids’ weaknesses!” Junhui’s never seen someone be so genuinely and purely happy about exploiting weaknesses of adolescents, but he remembers he’s surrounded by demigods who are somewhat odd by nature of what they are, so he accepts it.

“I still can’t believe you let Nike side with Aphrodite,” Junhui says to Seungcheol as they watch Seokmin walk back to camp.

“I don’t think you remember how convincing Jeonghan can be,” Seungcheol says, exhaling through his nose. “He’s always getting Chan to do all sorts of things he doesn’t exactly want to do.”

“That’s...very true,” Junhui concedes, not even trying to count the number of times he’s seen Chan regret his entire existence while saying he’s Jeonghan’s baby.

Seungcheol looks like he’s mourning his luck at having to go against Jeonghan, who in addition to having extraordinarily strong charmspeak, is unfairly clever and a formidable swordsman. Honestly, he’s almost definitely the deadliest person in camp, Junhui muses, especially now that Jihoon’s gone….

Seungcheol coughs, and for once, Junhui’s grateful for the guy’s penchant for interrupting his trains of thought. He may as well do what he can to appease Seungcheol now, he figures, since they’re nearly guaranteed a loss against Jeonghan this week.

He levels his arrow, focusing on Seungcheol’s advice in his ear and pretending he doesn’t see another glint of gold coming from near the lake.

 

 

***

 

 

Thorns twist around his neck, cutting off his air flow, and Junhui gasps, fingers scrabbling at his neck and coming away crimson. There’s nothing holding him up, his feet kicking against cold, stagnant air. The darkness around him is deafening, and it bites at his skin with malice. He feels like his stomach is burning; when he looks down, purple alconite blooms where his skin used to be. The roots weave around his rib cage, crowding out the organs so it feels like the two halves of his body are trying to pull themselves apart. As his eyes bulge from the lack of oxygen, the flowers turn black like charcoal, crumbling in a breeze Junhui can’t feel. His ribs start disintegrating under them, and smoke billows over him like a shroud.

Right when he thinks he’s about to die, he finds himself lying face down in something soft. When heaving himself up, his finger gets caught. He can’t control his eyes, which are drawn towards his hands with a foreign strength and excruciatingly sharp pain, as if metal skewers have been drilled through them and dragged downwards. He can’t feel his lips, can’t open his mouth to scream but supporting him is a pile of faces staring up at him, skin still bloody around the edges, and his finger has caught in an empty eye socket. He doesn’t know where the skulls are, who these people are, what is happening, his chest is bursting—

Laughter like steel screws dragging on chalkboards fills his ears, and Junhui doesn’t have eyes to see who it is. _Do you think you can protect him now, child?_

 

 

His whole body is being shaken, but Junhui opens his eyes to see Wonwoo hovering over him, concern scrunching his whole face.

“Don’t move,” he says, gently pressing Junhui’s shoulder further into the mattress. He gets up, returning momentarily with a glass of water and a small plastic box.

Wonwoo’s words are unnecessary, as Junhui can’t move, his limbs frozen and blood burning and boiling in his veins as he stares up at the purple lilies hanging from the ceiling. His eyes stay fixed on then, watching the blossoms sway in their bowl, vaguely aware of Wonwoo gently prying his hand out from where he’d tangled it in the vines of red pyrathanca lining the window sill. The alcohol stings where he'd scratched himself on the thorns, but Junhui barely notices.

A purple petal falls from the ceiling, landing in the pool of moonlight over Junhui’s stomach.

“Junhui? Are you okay?” Wonwoo’s voice is a whisper, and Junhui’s chest heaves as he comes to realize he’s holding his breath. He coughs, finally closing his eyes, and when he opens them again, he stares straight at Wonwoo.

“Jihoon.”

“No, Junhui, I’m Wonwoo. What did you dream?” He places his hand on Junhui’s forehead, eyebrows furrowing.

“Jihoon— he’s— I don’t know what happened but he needs help I think he’s _dying_ ,” Junhui says, not realizing his eyes are starting to well with tears until one of them falls and drips onto his pillow.

“Okay, just let me get Chiron and Mr. D, okay? I’ll be right back. Drink this while I’m gone, and _don’t move_.” He doesn’t leave until Junhui has repeated back a promise to drink the water and not get out of bed until Wonwoo gets back with the camp directors.

True to his word, Junhui drinks the water and doesn’t leave the bed, but his mind is racing— who would be capable of doing such things, and what was Jihoon doing to get himself in situations like this? Why had he just let Jihoon leave on his own, knowing full well that he could be hurt? Even if he managed to get out of camp, would Jihoon be alive by the time Junhui found him?

When Wonwoo returns with Chiron and Mr. D, Junhui’s having trouble breathing, and it takes a good five minutes for him to calm down enough to tell them exactly what he dreamt. Wonwoo takes this time to bandage his hand, but at some point, their hands start shaking, and Junhui doesn’t know it’s because of his own shaking or Wonwoo’s. He doesn’t care.

“So can I go find him?” is what Junhui finishes his account with.

“This sounds like a hallucination,” Dionysus yawns. “Maybe it was just a bad dream, Juniper.”

“You know demigods don’t get fictional bad dreams,” Junhui says accusingly.

Chiron sighs. “Junhui’s right, Mr. D. But this also doesn’t sound like any kind of torture I’ve ever heard anyone use in Greek mythology,” he says. “It could very well be some kind of vision Jihoon’s had, but if it makes you feel better, you can go see the Oracle. _But_ ,” he adds quickly, seeing Junhui’s face, “you need to wait until tomorrow morning. It’s still the middle of the night, and I don’t want you going now, when you’re still in this state. Let’s get you to the infirmary for some nectar and ambrosia first, yes?”

Junhui feels at this moment like his limbs might separate from his body, the muscle falling from the bone like it’d been roasted for hours. Maybe not the healthiest state, a voice in the back of his mind muses. As he tries to get up, his legs give out, and Wonwoo catches him worriedly.

It's then that Chiron decides it's a good idea for him to carry Junhui to the Big House, depositing him on a bed with strict instructions to not leave without talking to him first. Thankfully, after drinking some nectar, Junhui’s able to doze fitfully, but without dreams.

 

 

***

 

 

The sunlight streaming through the window pries Junhui’s eyes open, and when he moves to sit up, a loud groan leaves his lips involuntarily.

“Junhui! You’re awake!” Wonwoo rushes in, kneeling next to his bed. He’s quickly followed by Jeonghan and Minghao.

“How do you feel?” Jeonghan asks, looking uncharacteristically serious as he brushes the hair out of Junhui’s eyes. Junhui doesn’t smile or tease him, which deepens Jeonghan’s frown.

“Like I was smushed in a panini press for twelve hours,” he says, grimacing as he sits up. “Did you tell them what happened?” he asks Wonwoo.

“Just that you’d had a bad dream about Jihoon.”

“Ah. Okay. Cool. Well. You’ll know I should be getting to the cave now then,” Junhui says, trying to lift himself off the bed.

Jeonghan presses him back down, eyes glinting. “Not before breakfast.”

Junhui almost whines before Jeonghan pulls out a huge plate of food, literally a portion of every breakfast food served at camp piled together.

Junhui smiles at that, and his stomach rumbles. Minghao, who’d just been holding his hand until then, laughs quietly and hands him a fork. Minghao watches him carefully, waiting until his mouth is full to say, “if you get a Quest and have companions, I’m coming with you.”

“And me,” Jeonghan adds quickly. “You’ll need someone who’s actually competent to save Jihoon.”

“Hey!” Minghao looks like he’s ready to fight, but Jeonghan just pats his cheek.

“You’re plenty competent, for sure, but who’s going to save your ass when Junhui inevitably messes something up?”

Minghao considers this, and nods a second later to concede agreement.

Junhui tries to chew faster, but he can’t get all the food in his mouth. He settles on glaring on them both. It probably doesn’t look very threatening when his cheeks are full of food, since they both just pat his arm as if he's a child.

When he’s eaten enough to satisfy the other three, Junhui makes his way to the cave slowly. They grudgingly let him go alone, which Junhui appreciates. The food and nectar have dramatically improved his control of his motor skills, but he still feels sore for some reason, and his conversation skills are pretty shot at the moment.

When they reach the cave entrance, Junhui calls softly, “Soonyoung?”

The only response is a sleepy groan.

Junhui ducks inside, kneeling and shaking Soonyoung awake. As Soonyoung slowly gets up, Junhui sits down and looks around. There’s a number of collages on the walls, made from old film strips and what looks like shards of celestial bronze. In front of him is a modest table made from dark wood, and mugs with various levels of tea and coffee in them sit on every surface in the room.

Soonyoung finally drags himself over to the table and takes a drink from a mug sitting on a pile of clothes. Junhui tries to not question it.

“What’s up?” Soonyoung yawns.

Junhui explains what he saw in his dream. “So I need a Quest to go find Jihoon,” he finishes.

“And I’m supposed to give you this Quest?” Soonyoung raises an eyebrow.

“Well. I was hoping yes, since you’re… the Oracle….”

“Right, just wanted to check we were thinking the same thing. And I wish I could help you, but the Oracle doesn’t just give out prophecies to whoever comes looking, you know? And I can’t tell when one’s going to come, but I can usually tell when it’s not. I get the feeling you’re not supposed to go looking,” Soonyoung says, looking genuinely sorry.

“Are you sure?” Junhui asks desperately.

“The Oracle will bring me to you if one comes, but I think you might need to just wait and see what happens,” Soonyoung says. He looks at Junhui helplessly.

“Okay, well thanks Soonyoung,” Junhui sighs. “I’ll figure something out, I guess.”

“Good luck, and I hope you find him soon. I’ve missed Jihoon, believe it or not,” Soonyoung says ruefully.

“I’ll let him know if we find him,” Junhui promises, ducking out of the cave and slowly making his way back to camp.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter; there are lots of feelings.

Everyone at camp knows what happened by the time Junhui nears the Big House, and Jeonghan pounces on him, dragging him away from the lingering looks and whispers of campers who are gathered around the house. He brings Junhui to the green behind the stables, where there are only a couple pegasi grazing. Minghao and Wonwoo are sitting on a bale of hay, playing what looks like the mandu game. They look up when Jeonghan and Junhui enter.

The look on Junhui’s face is enough explanation, and they gather around him in a hug. When it’s clear he’s not letting go, Minghao gently tugs him down so they can all lay on the grass.

Junhui isn’t crying. He really isn’t. He just feels overwhelmingly helpless and worried, is all, and there are absolutely zero tears coming from his eyes.

Jeonghan gently wipes a non-tear on his cheek and pulls him closer. Junhui lets him, quietly willing his brain to go numb. He focuses on how the grass glows in the sunlight, the warmth of it on his skin as his friends let him process in peace.

 

 

***

 

 

“You know, I could probably get someone to sneak us out of here,” Jeonghan says as they walk to lunch.

“Honestly, we could probably figure out a few ways get out of here without anyone noticing,” Minghao adds, gently swinging their linked hands.

“Soonyoung said he felt like I should stay here,” Junhui says with a frown. “I want to go, but Soonyoung’s usually right about his feelings, at least in this sense.”

Jeonghan snickers. “Yeah definitely not in a Seokmin sense.”

Wonwoo rolls his eyes. “Those two are idiots what did you expect from them?”

“True, but it took them literally years to get together,” Jeonghan replies, still snickering to himself.

“ _Well_ ,” Minghao interrupts, “maybe it’d be a good idea to wait at least a few days, see if anything changes. Then you can decide if you want to go against the Oracle.”

It makes sense, Junhui admits, even if his entire being is against staying at camp when Jihoon might be in danger.

“I’ll give it until capture the flag. That’s a reasonable amount of time,” Junhui says, and Minghao nods in agreement before he and Jeonghan leave for their tables.

Wonwoo nudges Junhui with his shoulder. “It’ll work out,” he says quietly, calmly. Junhui likes the way Wonwoo speaks, as if he’s coaxing the life in seeds to bloom. It’s reassuring, especially at times like this. “Besides, when has Soonyoung ever been wrong about an Oracle thing? He became the Oracle a month before I got here, and he’s been right every time since I got here, four _years_ ago.”

Junhui sighs. “You’re right. That’s a pretty impressive track record. Let’s just focus on beating Jeonghan tonight, yeah?”

Wonwoo laughs. “Dude he got Minghao to side with him. Between Athena, Nike, and Jeonghan, we’re dead before their allies even come into play. Plus, Soonyoung loves surprises, so he probably hasn’t even told Seokmin what’s on the field.”

“Yeah, well I guilt-tripped Josh into helping us, which will be helpful, and Seungcheol managed to get Hermes, so strength in numbers right? Plus, Seokmin said Seungkwan knew some of the Nike kids’ weaknesses. Not all hope is lost,” Junhui says. He glances up at Seungkwan and notices he’s communicating wordlessly with Hansol across tables again.

After all, nothing screams demigod more than vaguely unpleasant surprises, like the casual betrayal of something so wholesome for the sake of capture the flag, Junhui thinks wryly.

 

 

***

 

 

“Alright, warriors, gather ‘round. I had a lot of fun planning the game tonight,” Soonyoung says with a wicked grin, standing above everyone on a huge boulder. On either side stands a team, Jeonghan’s sporting blue and Seungcheol’s red. They’re in the forest, and the sunlight filters through the trees painting the grass like stained glass.

This is Jihoon’s favorite time of day, Junhui remembers, completely ignoring Soonyoung’s detailing of the obstacles set up. The setting sun would cast Jihoon’s hair in amber, almost like a crown. He liked feeling the warmth on his skin without feeling exposed like in the midday light. Junhui remembers Jihoon tugging him into the forest after dinner so they could lie in the sun and wait for the fireflies to come out.

There’s a hand on Junhui’s wrist, and it tugs him out of his thoughts. Instead of Jihoon’s warm black eyes, dark brown eyes burn into his.

“Josh, hey,” Junhui says, startled.

“Hey,” Josh says with a laugh. “We’re moving. Let’s go.”

Junhui lets himself be led through the woods, and soon Josh lets go of his wrist, but he doesn’t leave Junhui’s side.

“Do you want to be here?” Josh asks quietly.

Junhui looks up at him in surprise.

“You don’t have to lie. We haven’t hung out in a while, but I still know you. You’re upset and preoccupied.” Josh has his father’s eyes as much a human can; they’re a deep brown, but there’s a heat to them, a fire that burns away pretense. It makes people feel naked, afraid, and most people retaliate with belligerence. Junhui’s known him for long enough to just feel thankful that he doesn’t have to verbalize his feelings for Josh to understand.

“I am both those things,” Junhui admits, keeping his voice low. “I promised Seungcheol we’d help him, though, and I’m not making any decisions until after this, so I may as well play.”

“Okay. Well to be honest, I didn’t really plan on having you do anything in the second half of the game because of your injuries.” When Junhui looks over, Josh’s eyes are twinkling. “I can tell when people are injured, don’t you remember?”

“But I wasn’t injured in battle… I guess it depends on the definition of battle then, huh.”

“Exactly,” Josh says. “And at the end of the day, mental injuries are just as important as physical ones, so I have a pretty good grasp of how you’re doing.”

“Is it bad?”

“You’ll be fine, but rest would be good.”

Junhui sighs. “I’ve been lying down all day.”

Josh raises an eyebrow at him. “One sec,” he says. He takes a moment to gather everyone, quickly summarize their game plan, and remind them where their posts are. When he’s done, he turns back to Junhui.

“You think lying down for one day is enough to cure everything?”

Junhui groans. “I’ve heard enough from Seungcheol and Chiron, okay, I know how to treat injuries, but I need to _do_ something, Josh.”

“Well do what you can today and take it easy in part two, yeah? And I’m always here to talk if you need.” Josh’s hand on Junhui’s shoulder is light, barely there. Junhui appreciates it, and he knows Josh can tell when he grins and backs away, flashing Junhui a thumbs up before running towards where the rest of the Ares cabin is stationed.

Junhui spends the first half of the game dutifully following Josh’s game plan. The son of Ares, although maybe not as into picking a fight as his siblings, is truly a mastermind when it comes to battle plans, and Junhui can hear from his place on defense as Apollo and Ares successfully begin their attack.

Josh decided to leave him on defense where practically nobody would ever need defense; this isn’t an accident, Junhui knows, and while he’d usually be annoyed beyond belief, he’s pretty okay with it today. Instead, he thinks about how to get to the Underworld, where Jihoon almost definitely is. Even if he isn’t there, Junhui can maybe ask Hades. If he’s really desperate. Which he might be.

Eventually, an arrow is shot into the air and it releases red sparks, signaling the start of part two. Junhui sighs with relief, not realizing how much he’d been looking forward to getting out of the game. He’s tired. The sky is dark now, a huge expanse of velvet, soft on the eyes like a lullaby. There’s a part of him that just wants to lie down and sleep everything away for several years, but a much larger part of him that wants to set out for the Underworld right this instant. He’d promised Wonwoo, Minghao, and Jeonghan he’d bring them too, though, and he knows he would need them, so he decides to satisfy at least the smaller part of himself. With a hand on the hilt of his sword, he sets out for the one place in the woods he knows he’ll be comfortable.

 

 

***

 

 

Junhui knows that the clearing is technically Jeonghan’s territory, but he sits down anyway. It’s been a couple months now since Jihoon sat there with him, fingers intertwined as the stars twinkled down at them. He thinks about how Jihoon used to love the lilies growing at the foot of the trees, pink and dusted with white like fresh snow. The sky is clear, and the stars shine as brightly as ever, but when Junhui lies down to look at them, he can’t help but feel that their light is cold tonight.

Around him, he can hear the game continuing. The rustle of leaves as demigods sprint between territories, the occasional ring of celestial bronze, and next to him, the stream flowing with ease. Without intending to, Junhui closes his eyes.

A while later, the sound of someone collapsing on the ground at the edge of the clearing jerks Junhui out of the light sleep he’d accidentally fallen into, and his eyes shoot open. Rubbing his eyes, he sits up and looks for whoever has dropped in on him.

The person’s wearing a dark cloak, dark hair bearing two silver streaks, and when he looks up—

“Jihoon?!” Junhui jumps up, pulling the boy into his arms immediately. Jihoon crumples into his chest, and Junhui’s heart breaks as he lowers him to the ground and fumbles with his pockets, trying to find the block of ambrosia he’d kept on him in case someone got injured in the game. He finds it and feeds it in small pieces to Jihoon, whose eyes remain closed as his chest moves up and down shallowly.

Finally, Jihoon opens his eyes. “Junhui?” he whispers. His hand reaches up to weakly touch Junhui’s cheek.

Junhui has no words. Jihoon’s eyes are bloodshot, skin tinged grey like an overcast sky, exhaustion settling in the fine lines under his eyes. He’d never been heavy, but in Junhui’s arms now, he’s a pile of autumn leaves, small and brittle, the beauty of the setting sun cast in frost. His hand is as warm as Junhui remembers, though, and as he stares, Jihoon gently traces a line down his jaw.

“You’re here,” he breathes, and his voice is frighteningly soft, as if the air in his lungs can barely support words.

“Yes, Jihoon, yes I’m here,” Junhui whispers, gently pulling him closer. “I’m here, and you’re going to be okay.”

“Are you hurt?” Jihoon seems to be looking for something in Junhui’s eyes, searching with a choked desperation Junhui doesn’t understand.

“No, everything’s okay, Jihoon, I’m here and okay and I’ll help you get better, I promise.” Junhui can’t help the few tears that fall, seeing Jihoon so scared and frail. But Jihoon gently wipes them away with his thumb.

“You’ve been here the whole time then? Nobody took you from camp, hurt you…” Jihoon trails off, brushing the ends of Junhui’s hair lightly. “No,” he whispers, “you look okay.”

“I am,” Junhui replies, and before he can continue, Jihoon reaches up and pulls Junhui in, closing the space between their bodies.

“I thought you were dying,” Jihoon mumbles, voice muffled by Junhui’s neck.

“Same,” Junhui replies, not sure whether he’s about to laugh or cry. Probably both.

It seems like much too soon that Jihoon pulls away, and his eyelashes sparkle. The moonlight paints them silver, and Junhui can’t help that he leans forward again and presses his lips to Jihoon’s.

He pulls back before Jihoon can push him away and hurriedly whispers, “Sorry I won’t do it again I promise.”

Jihoon’s eyes are so wide Junhui can see the stars reflected in them, lips parted just slightly as he looks up at Junhui.

“You asshole,” he murmurs.

“Sorry,” Junhui whispers, terrified that just when he’s returned, Jihoon will march right back out of his life.

Jihoon just narrows his eyes, but then he pulls Junhui back down and kisses him again.

It takes a second for Junhui to realize what's happening, and then he presses back eagerly. He feels fingers card through his hair, pulling him closer.

Kissing Jihoon, he discovers, feels a lot like drowning in honey, everything overwhelmingly warm and sweet, deliciously burning through his veins. When Junhui gently bites on Jihoon’s bottom lip, he's rewarded with a low groan. His lips are sweet, soft and precious like new honeycomb at the break of dawn; Junhui can't get enough, and Jihoon keeps pulling him closer.

When they pull apart for air, Jihoon’s palm smooths down Junhui’s neck and prevents him from moving away. He has no intention of doing so, however, and as his eyes flutter open, he feels Jihoon’s warm exhales on his lips.

There's silence except for their quiet panting. Capture the flag seems to be over, judging from the lack of yelling, but Junhui just barely registers this because Jihoon’s eyes are so close, shining like fresh ink in the moonlight. He wants to lean back in and kiss Jihoon again, and maybe that's not the smartest thing, but then he realizes he's been staring at Jihoon’s lips and Jihoon has noticed. He raises an eyebrow playfully, and it's all the encouragement Junhui needs to lean back in, pressing his lips to Jihoon chastely, over and over as he revels in the softness of it all. As he moves to Jihoon’s cheeks, Jihoon giggles and gently tugs on his hair. Pouting, Junhui pulls away, and Jihoon quickly kisses it away.

“Wait,” he says, laughing as Junhui tries to kiss him back. “We should talk.”

Junhui draws back reluctantly, tightening his arms around Jihoon.

“Fine. Do you want to explain what the hell you were doing for two and a half months then?” Junhui asks, and he sounds more like he's pleading than anything else. “Or at least what the hell gave you gray hair? And why you collapsed here from shadow traveling even though I know you're strong enough to shadow travel wherever you want with relative ease? Or why I had a dream you were being tortured like I'd never seen before?” Upon asking the last question, Junhui’s eyebrows furrow as he remembers the incredible pain he'd felt and what Jihoon must have endured.

“There's a lot to say,” Jihoon replies softly. He smooths his fingers over Junhui’s eyebrows, gently kissing the corner of his mouth. Junhui smiles and squeezes his waist but doesn't reply, waiting for Jihoon to continue.

Jihoon exhales. “I went to see Hypnos. Dad’s been trying to get him to own up to a debt he's owed for a few centuries, but Hypnos keeps ignoring his messages. So he sent me to talk to the guy, which was actually going fine until I mentioned the debt. In any case, his wife decided she’d heard enough from me and, well, she's the goddess of relaxation and shit but also hallucination, which is by far the least nice side of her.”

“But hallucinations don't give you real pain,” Junhui says quietly, fingers tracing the grey streaks in Jihoon’s hair.

“Well they do if they come from Pasithea herself. Pain is a brain thing, so she can make you feel all the pain you would feel if the nightmares she gave you actually happened. And she told me she could get to you in an instant, that for my actions, she would hurt you too…” Jihoon trails off, gripping the front of Junhui’s shirt tightly. He looks up. “She didn't, right? She was lying?”

Junhui sees fear in Jihoon’s eyes, so he leans down and kisses his forehead.

“I'm okay,” he promises. “I think she gave me part of your hallucination in my dreams a few nights ago, but everything’s fine now.”

“Now?” Jihoon narrows his eyes.

“Well everything hurt for a while after,” Junhui says, but when Jihoon’s eyes start burning, he adds, “but I think a lot of it was shock and worry for you.” He breathes a sigh of relief when Jihoon’s eyes soften.

“Sorry,” Jihoon mumbles, plucking at Junhui’s shirt. “I should've talked to you more before I left the palace.”

“Next time,” Junhui says, and when he kisses Jihoon’s forehead again, he sees Jihoon smile. It makes him smile too. “Are you tired though? The ambrosia won't last forever.”

At this, Jihoon yawns, and Junhui laughs. “Bed, yes?”

“No,” Jihoon says. “I don't want anyone to see me at camp yet.”

Junhui tilts his head. “You need food and sleep though.”

“I can do without food, and I can sleep here,” Jihoon replies, stubborn.

“Fine,” Junhui says, rolling his eyes with a small smile. “What if I go back to camp, grab some food and stuff, and we can both stay here tonight?”

Jihoon tries very hard to not smile, but Junhui sees it anyway.

 

 

***

 

 

Junhui returns to the woods to find Jihoon asleep on the ground, head pillowed by his outstretched arm. Setting his bag on the ground, Junhui smiles to himself as he gently tugs Jihoon into his chest and pulls out a blanket to wrap around them both. Luckily it's summer, but the nights can still get chilly, so he only closes his eyes after making sure Jihoon is snug before nuzzling his hair. He smells faintly of charcoal and lilies, and Junhui likes the feeling of Jihoon’s warmth in his arms while moonlight dances on his skin.

He falls asleep easily, like a fish returned to water.

 

 

***

 

 

Junhui is woken by a finger gliding down his nose. He groans, tugging the warmth in his arms closer.

“Sorry,” Jihoon whispers. “I didn't mean to wake you.”

Junhui’s eyes snap open, and he panics slightly at the proximity of Jihoon’s face, literally inches from his.

Jihoon notices the surprise on Junhui’s face and hums quietly, gently smoothing his palm over Junhui’s cheek before cupping it lightly.

Junhui can't look away from Jihoon’s eyes, though, mesmerized and almost afraid he's still in some long, beautiful dream that will break his heart when he wakes up.

“Jihoon?” he asks, hesitant.

“Yes?”

“You're really here? At camp?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

They watch each other, Junhui still processing and Jihoon gently stroking his cheek.

“Are you hungry?” Junhui finally asks when he’s sure he's awake.

Jihoon laughs at this, voice ringing through the clearing. Junhui can't help smiling, even though he's not sure what's funny.

“I'm starving,” Jihoon replies, eyes shining with something Junhui can't quite pin down (joy? Excitement?). “But I can't quite move at the moment.”

Confused, Junhui looks down, and Jihoon raises his arm. Curled around his forearm is a long stem coming from the ground, several white lilies in full bloom where his veins are closest to the skin.

“How…?” Junhui studies then in wonder. “Lilies don't even grow like that.”

“Well it certainly wasn't me,” Jihoon says, not quite holding back a smile.

Junhui blushes. “Sorry,” he says, gently untangling Jihoon’s arm from the flowers.

“It's okay,” Jihoon says, and he sits up when his arm is free, looking a little wistful at the flowers lying on the ground.

Junhui sits up too, but upon realizing how close they are, freezes. Should he move away? He and Jihoon haven't really talked about anything yet, and maybe he doesn't want—

Jihoon solves his internal dilemma by pulling Junhui’s arms around himself.

“I know we should talk,” he says quietly, turning around and watching for signs of discomfort in Junhui’s eyes. “But maybe we could eat first?”

“I can do that,” Junhui says, pulling over his bag from the night before. He opens it and brings out a few bottles of water and plastic containers of fruit and sandwiches.

“There's also some hot chocolate, but it’s probably not too hot at this point,” he says.

“That's okay,” Jihoon replies, and they eat in a comfortable silence.

Jihoon finishes before Junhui as usual, and he starts recounting his journey to see Hypnos. Junhui lets him talk uninterrupted, listening quietly and drawing little shapes on Jihoon’s knee. It isn’t an especially long or dramatic story, to be honest, and it doesn’t seem like anything that happened should have particularly angered anyone, but he supposes the gods and the titans have never been the type to just chill and communicate with each other. It hurts him that Jihoon got caught in the middle, though, and Junhui’s eyes trace the grey streaks in Jihoon’s hair. They stand out like ash trailing from a cooling fire, and Junhui can’t imagine the amount of pain he must have endured; even Annabeth Chase, for all her strength, only had her hair turn grey from holding up the sky.

When Jihoon finishes, they sit in silence for a while, and Junhui pokes a strawberry against Jihoon’s lips until he opens his mouth and eats it.

“That all makes sense,” he says after the fifth strawberry, “but why did Pasithea threaten me? She was angry on behalf of her husband; that’s hardly equivalent to a best friend.”

Jihoon eyes him. “Are you really that stupid, Wen Junhui?”

Junhui shrinks a little, and Jihoon sighs. He leans up and gently presses a kiss to the corner of Junhui’s lips. When he pulls back, Junhui is pursing his lips trying to not smile.

“Is that your way of confessing to me?” he says, poking Jihoon’s side.

“It’s my way of saying you’re lucky to have me,” Jihoon grumbles. His hand finds Junhui’s, though, taking away any bite his words might have had.

Junhui laughs and kisses the back of Jihoon’s hand, laughing even harder at the blush he elicits.

“So when she said ‘do you think you can protect him now,’ she was talking about me, right?” Junhui says with a grin.

“Yes.” Jihoon narrows his eyes. “So what?”

“So you wanted to protect me,” Junhui says giddily, squeezing Jihoon into his chest enthusiastically.

“Oh my gods is that all you got out of that?” Jihoon says, flushing.

“Well I mean there’s plenty of other stuff, and I will definitely make sure to take care of you later, because I’m sure it was an excruciating time,” Junhui says, softly rubbing circles on Jihoon’s stomach. Jihoon relaxes a bit, leaning back into Junhui’s chest and nuzzling into his neck.

“But also you were protective of me and totally have a crush on me,” Junhui finishes, giggling.

Jihoon groans and mutters “shut up,” but his voice is muffled by Junhui’s neck, and Junhui grins. He’s about to say something when Jihoon speaks again. “Besides, you told me you love me before I even left Hades. You can’t talk.”

Junhui blushes furiously. “So you heard that,” he says, not really asking anymore.

“Yeah I did,” Jihoon chuckles. “And I was so mad you didn’t tell me when I could reply.”

“Yeah well,” Junhui swallows, “maybe I was a little scared.”

“Yeah...I get that,” Jihoon says softly, pressing a soft kiss to Junhui’s throat.

Junhui doesn’t say anything, but he presses a his lips to Jihoon’s temple tenderly. He’s not sure if there are words that can adequately articulate what he’s feeling, but with Jihoon, words have never been the most important thing, and they lapse into a comfortable silence. Jihoon traces the lines on his shirt, and Junhui rubs circles onto Jihoon’s shoulders.

As the sun slowly fills the clearing with light, Junhui feels restlessness begin to pull at his blood.

“Jihoon?” he says softly, not entirely sure Jihoon’s still awake.

“Hm?”

“When do you think you’d be okay with going back to camp? Even if Chiron doesn’t notice, Wonwoo’s going to be looking for me soon, and he’ll rope in at least Jeonghan and Minghao.”

Jihoon sighs shifts so they can see each other’s faces, and in the light, his eyes glimmer like watered silk with the same look from that morning. His hand reaches up to rest on Junhui’s neck, fingers gently curling into the soft baby hairs at the back of his neck. Junhui’s cheeks grow warm as he realizes that what he’d previously been unable to read in Jihoon’s expression was, perhaps, something like love.

“I mostly just didn’t want to go back before knowing things wouldn’t be weird with us. I have something to grab from dad’s place before seeing everyone, though, and I should probably let him know what actually happened, now that I think of it. I kind of came straight here after escaping Pasithea.” His eyes sweep over Junhui’s face, and when their eyes meet again, he gives him a small smile. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“That’s what you said last time,” Junhui grumbles, but with newly found confidence from his realization, he leans in, nudging Jihoon’s nose with his own for another kiss. Jihoon complies easily, and when they pull apart, he lets out a soft sigh.

“This time I’m just going to tell Hades what I did and grab some extra clothes. Nothing dangerous,” Jihoon says, and his breath is warm against Junhui’s lips. It makes him shiver, which doesn’t go unnoticed. Jihoon grins and kisses him again quickly before standing up.

“I’ll meet you back at camp tonight, okay?” Jihoon asks, helping Junhui up. “This really shouldn’t take long, and besides, Persephone will be back soon. You know how she hates seeing signs of me around the palace.” Jihoon makes a face, and Junhui laughs, remembering all the times he’d received Iris Messages at three in the morning when Jihoon wanted to rant about his stepmother.

“I’ll hold you to that,” he says, and Jihoon grins. He stands on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Junhui’s cheek before moving next to the huge oak tree at the edge of the clearing. Junhui sees him wink just before he melts into the shadow.

 

 

***

 

 

Junhui returns to camp with a skip to his step and a smile hovering around his lips. Just as he closes the door to his cabin, Jeonghan comes barrelling in, dragging Minghao behind him.

“You son of a— very nice goddess,” Jeonghan says, catching himself. He points a finger at Junhui accusingly, though, and Minghao rolls his eyes fondly.

“Hello to you too?” Junhui says. He’s smiling, though, and at the look of absolute betrayal on Jeonghan’s face, he bursts out laughing.

“You—? I can’t believe you just?” Jeonghan sputters indignantly.

“What he’s _trying_ to say is we both hope Jihoon is doing okay,” Minghao says with a grin, quietly pulling Jeonghan back and running a hand up and down his back soothingly. Jeonghan huffs, leaning into Minghao’s side dramatically.

“He’s doing fine,” Junhui replies, trying very hard to keep a straight face. He doesn’t succeed, though, and he knows it. He can’t find it in himself to care.

“I just can’t believe you’d clog up the whole hill with your gross ass mushiness and not even give me a heads up,” Jeonghan grumbles.

Junhui just laughs, and Jeonghan grudgingly smiles too.

“Will he be back soon? I want to talk to him,” Jeonghan says.

“Tonight,” Junhui replies, beaming.

“God you’re so fucking happy. I’m glad, but also can we go, Minghao?”

“You’re so rude,” Minghao says, laughing.

“You’re one to talk,” Jeonghan retorts, and Minghao manages to look shocked. Junhui rolls his eyes and shoves them towards the door.

“Just go,” he says.

“Loverboy here has to prepare himself,” Jeonghan says, flipping his hair over his shoulder and pulling the door open. “We’ll see you at dinner, probably. Don’t drown yourself in cologne!”

Jeonghan tugs Minghao out the door before Junhui can properly say bye.

Left with the silence in the cabin, Junhui lays down on his bed. The purple lilies on the ceiling spin slowly, and he watches the shadow move across the wood. He lies there for a few hours in a daze, watching the flowers on the ceiling and playing with the ones next to his bed. Before he knows it, the sun is setting, washing everything in amber, and the bell is ringing for dinner.

Junhui eats dinner happily, conversing with the rest of his cabin more animatedly than he has in months. Wonwoo nudges him with a small smile, and Junhui hugs him gratefully. They head to the beach afterwards, where Seokmin leads the sing-a-long, enthusiasm undiminished by their narrow defeat in capture the flag. In fact, none of the Apollo kids seem upset, instead just very friendly with the Ares cabin. It’s a bit of an odd friendship, but Junhui notices that Seungcheol and Josh spend the whole night leaning into each other as they talk. The fire brings a glow to all their faces, and Junhui can’t help but let out a sigh of contentment and affection as he looks around.

“Ugh please stop,” Jeonghan says, elbowing Junhui’s stomach.

“Never,” Junhui teases, wrapping his arms around Jeonghan tightly. Jeonghan yelps, and Junhui rests his head on Jeonghan’s shoulder happily, deliberately exuding as much love and joy as he can.

“Minghao,” Jeonghan croaks, trying to reach a few feet down the bench, where Minghao’s looking skeptical as Mingyu tries to explain his newest creation. He looks up when Jeonghan calls his name, but upon seeing Junhui’s grin and hearing more of Jeonghan’s pleas, he shakes his head and turns back to Mingyu with a smile.

They end up getting back to bed fairly late, and Junhui worries that Jihoon’s lost again, but Wonwoo convinces him that’s almost definitely not the case; as a son of Hades, there are very few places safer for him than Hades’ palace, after all. It doesn’t stop him from going to bed uneasy, though, so maybe it shouldn’t surprise him that he sleeps lightly enough to wake up in the middle of the night from a draft coming through his window.

But it’s August, and any child of Demeter, let alone their head counselor, would know to leave the windows shut at night so they can maintain the right temperature for their plants. Junhui turns to his window, and he nearly falls out of his bed when he sees Jihoon looking back at him.

Jihoon giggles and whispers, “Come outside for a second.”

Junhui, too sleepy to think and too smitten to deny Jihoon in any case, slips outside quietly, letting Jihoon pull him to the shadows of some nearby trees. Junhui rubs his eyes with his free hand, and Jihoon grins. He reaches up to smooth down Junhui’s hair, and Junhui falls in love all over again.

“Sorry for waking you up,” Jihoon says, and Junhui hums quietly. He wraps his arms around Jihoon, still half-asleep and clingy. Jihoon laughs at this, winding his arms around Junhui’s waist and pressing a kiss to Junhui’s cheek.

“I wanted to give you something,” Jihoon says.

“It couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning?” Junhui teases, and Jihoon has the grace to look sheepish.

“I’ve been wanting to give it to you for a long time,” he says, moving his right hand to rest between them. He opens it, and in his palm rests a golden pin in the shape of a stem of ash, one of Demeter’s sacred trees. Five delicate leaves extend from the center like gossamer butterfly wings, and in the moonlight, Junhui can see their veins glimmer.

“It’s not particularly useful, but it flutters in the wind, and I thought...maybe it’d look nice with your hair….” Jihoon trails off, getting visibly nervous as Junhui just stares in silence.

“It’s so pretty,” he whispers finally. “Thank you so much. Where did you get it?”

“Umm,” Jihoon hesitates, despite just letting out a brief sigh of relief. “I kind of made it? I talked to Mingyu about the design and he gave me some metalworking tips, but I made it before leaving my dad’s palace. I wanted to do something nice for your birthday, Mingyu was busy, and then I was busy, so I was already late, but now I’m really late, sorry.”

“Oh my god.” Junhui stares at Jihoon in wonder. “I can’t believe you would— you made this yourself? For me?”

When Jihoon nods somewhat shyly, Junhui pulls him in and kisses him. He cups the back of Jihoon’s head gently, running his fingers through his hair before pulling back a little so their foreheads are still touching.

“I am actually so in love with you,” he whispers, and he feels himself fall even deeper when Jihoon flushes.

“Shut up, it’s just a birthday present,” he says, trying to look away, but Junhui gently holds his chin in place, and Jihoon ends up staring back at Junhui helplessly and so softly that Junhui feels the back of his neck grow warmer.

“It’s too early in the morning for this,” Jihoon finally whispers.

“It’s too early in the morning period,” Junhui groans.

Jihoon laughs and strokes his hair. “Back to bed?”

“Yes please,” Junhui replies. “But first, can I hold my pin?”

“Oh! Yes, of course.” Smiling, Jihoon places the pin in Junhui’s outstretched palm.

“It’s so pretty,” he says, admiring it happily. He sees Jihoon grin at the ground, and adds, “just like you!”

Jihoon flushes the darkest shade of red Junhui has ever seen, and it has him cracking up.

“Okay, time for bed,” Jihoon says, stepping out of Junhui’s embrace and physically shoving him back towards the circle of cabins.

 

 

***

 

 

Junhui wakes up the next morning to sunlight streaming through white curtains. He’s momentarily confused by the black bedding and the precious gems studding the marble ceiling in a very expensive mosaic before he realizes where he is. He glances over the warm bundle of blankets in his arms and sees that on the nightstand is a golden pin, five leaves casting a web of shadows on the wall.

He snuggles closer to Jihoon, closing his eyes again with a smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This is by far the longest work of fiction I've written in several years so hopefully it's satisfactory^^ Any feedback would be welcome<3
> 
> Also feel free to come yell about svt with me on twitter @serratedpearls lmao it's a fun time i promise


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